A/N: Murder. Mystery. Intrigue. Can I pull this off? I sure as shit hope so.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plots and OC's.

Chapter 2: Rebecca

"I come from a place whither I desire to return."
-Canto II, from Dante's Inferno

Am I dreaming? I'm in a room. They said I blacked out in the cop car. Said I kept saying things. We'll make it right. I'll make it right. I'm so sorry. I'll make it right. What have I done? I'm wearing blue scrubs. They took my clothes. I'm wearing blue. A light blue. Robin's egg blue. Not orange. I'm not in trouble.

Not yet, anyway. Isn't that what he said? I'm not handcuffed. I'm not in trouble. Not yet, anyway.

"So. Yugi Nutou. Well. This is interesting. My son is a big fan."

"Can I have your autograph?" Laughter.

"Stop it you two." There are three men. One of them is in charge. He's standing in the corner, obscured by shadows. It'd be funny if I didn't have the mental image of my fingers sinking into Rebecca's neck still in my mind. If I didn't have her blood under my nails. If I had never been there in the first place.

"I'm Detective Thorne. This is Omega and Paulson. Yugi, no one is blaming you for what happened. We just need you to tell us what you remember, understand?" I nod. Thorne steps out of the shadows and sits down. "Start at the beginning."

"I don't...I can't remember, I-"

"Well start!" Omega snaps.

"Enough. Yugi. Take it slow, alright?" I nod. Think Yugi. But all I can think about is Rebecca the little girl. Running up to me. I don't need a teddy bear. I've got a boyfriend. A child. Just a child. "I had class at three. I was done at four. So I started walking home. I talked to Joey. And then...then I saw something. But, I don't remember what."

"You took a pretty bad blow to the head. That's probably why." I nod.

"I just remember that what I saw was familiar. So I...I went down this street. Not the alley where I was, but a street. And then..." I'm starting to remember a little bit. "I went into a door. A red door. Graffiti. There was graffiti. I heard something. So I followed someone. Someone who had something. I never saw his face. He was always turned the other way. Always facing away from me."

"That's good. Do you remember what you heard?" I shake my head.

"Did you rape her before or after you killed her?"

"PAULSON! Out! You too, Omega." The other too wander out of the room. I stare at Thorne.

"She-she was raped?" He nods. "Aw fuck. Fuck fuck fuck." I bury my face in my hands. I just want to go home. But I want to go home yesterday. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. Your family and friends are here. They're worried sick about you." I sigh, look away.

"She was just a kid. Still is. She's just a kid. Kids don't belong dead in alley ways."

"No, Yugi. They don't. And it's my job to find the people who do that to kids. That's what I do. I handle all the cases involving kids around here."

"That sounds like fun."

"It's no walk in the park, but it's my job." He pulls out a newspaper. "This article was going to run in the next morning paper. They pulled it when I told them what happened, but they saved it for me. I save all the articles that have to do with my cases."

"For your scrapbook?" I ask bitterly. He sighs. Shows me the article:

PROFESSOR HAWKINS TO SPEAK, DESPITE MISSING GRANDDAUGHTER

"The professor is here?" He nods. "For how long?"

"Two weeks. Rebecca went missing four days ago. They decided to keep in on the down-low, given the secrecy of the seminar he's giving. It's supposed to be a surprise for the mayor. She's really into that whole Egyptian game study of his. Her birthday's in two days. Her secretary planned the whole thing and the police have been involved to keep it a secret. But then his granddaughter when missing and the whole thing kind of blew up in our faces. It's hard to keep missing kids a secret when you want everyone on the lookout for them. Anyway, tomorrow they're running a story about her death. You won't be in it, at least, your name won't." I must look scared. "Yugi. It's going to be okay. As long as you're completely honest with me, we won't run into any problems. Now, let's get you back to your family, alright?" I nod and stand, shakily. With a firm hand on my back, he leads me down the hall. Everyone is there and my grandpa rushes over immediately and pulls me to him. I've grown much taller than him over the years and his arms wrap tightly around my middle. I hiss in pain. Bruises I didn't know were there are forming all over my body. He pulls away.

"I was so worried."

"Yug!" Joey, Tristan, and Tea come over. "Man, are you alright?" I shrug. And then I see him. The one person who has protected me for so long. I just want him to hold me. Because his arms around me make me feel safe. His mere presence makes me feel safe.

"Aibou," he whispers. He brings his hands around the back of my head and holds me lightly, knowing where my pain is. I need this. I need him. I need them all.

I need to go home. "Let's go home," he whispers. I nod.

"Yugi?" Thorne stands behind me. "As a fellow citizen and, well, human being, I want you to know I think you're innocent. She's a child and she was treated like filth. I don't think you have it in you to do it. But as a detective, I must follow every lead and investigate every suspect. And you are a suspect. Though I know in my heart you didn't do anything, I must maintain my duties as a detective above my duties as a citizen. And if you lie to me or hide things from me, I will not hesitate to suspect you more so than I do now. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now go home."

sub A/N: All the quotes and chapter titles are from Dante's Inferno. Only the chapter titles have been altered. And in Inferno, they're called Cantos.